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Old 11-27-2005, 12:39 AM   #1  
I love chocolate! <sigh>
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Default Sorta new (lurker) and totally bummed...

Hi everyone,

I've been a lurker here, checking in now and again to read, for a few months now I guess. I've gained about 20 pounds since I joined. I have given myself every excuse in the book as to why I am not losing weight, and just keep stuffing the food in. I AM under a lot of stress due to Hurricane Katrina issues, but that only accounts for the last three months, not the last 20 years!!

I got on the scale a few days ago, and was totally shocked to see 297!! OMG... I cannot explain, but I'm sure you all know anyway, how horrible I felt, and still do.

I don't know where to start or what to do. I have never really dieted successfully, and have done even less exercise.

I think I have cried more tears in the past week... but I have decided that even if I don't know HOW I'm going to do it, I still WILL do it.

Meanwhile, I am still totally bummed, though... I feel terribly ugly and gross.

Thanks for listening, and if anyone's interested in a buddy, message me.
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Old 11-27-2005, 01:07 AM   #2  
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Well you've come to the right place! I'm sure all of us, no matter how much or how little we have to lose, can identify with that moment of "sticker shock." And sometimes that's what it takes for us to feel my life must change

There's a wide variety of eating plans for you to choose from. Personally I'm using Weight Watchers Online and enjoying it but if that doesn't suit you, pick something else. I think the important thing is to realize that this is something we will have to deal with for the rest of our lives, and START.

And yes, I'm interested in being your buddy -- we have similar amounts to lose ...

Donna
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Old 11-27-2005, 08:30 AM   #3  
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Hi ChunkyThighSyndrome

Glad you stopped lurking and have joined us. Jump in and post often ~ look forward to getting to know you.
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Old 11-27-2005, 08:54 AM   #4  
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Hi ....My name is Barb and welcome aboard, I use the South Beach diet and I also belong to a group named TOPS... take off pounds sensibly.. its run by the members like a club and we support each other with weekly meetings, and call each other... check out the website at Tops.Org.. there are chapters all over the USA and Canada... We also pass on what we have learned about dieting and all the latest news on nutrition and dieting.... I couldnt do it with out the support of my Tops friends..... many of them are on different plans.. weight watchers, south beach ect... You have taken the first step.... write out a plan of action .. set some goals and you will be surprised.... try walking 15 min a day to get you going... get a weight loss buddy to walk with you and dont dispair, your not alone..... India
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Old 11-27-2005, 11:22 AM   #5  
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I'm sorry about your scale shock the other day but maybe it's what you needed to get motivated. Like the other ladies said there are tons of plans out there. For me the easiest has been counting calories and journaling my food intake. There are a few websites that help you with food journaling or you could do it on paper. I know for me at first it was really hard to stay under a set calorie intake but now a little over a month later I'm finding it's hard for me to get my calories up that high. Also any sort of movement in addition to what you are used to is going to help. There are more than a few on here myself included that are big walk away the pounds fans. A mile only takes about 15 minutes and it will definetly help your weightloss.

Good luck to you and if you ever want to talk feel free to pm me.
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Old 11-27-2005, 12:08 PM   #6  
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First welcome to the posting side of the boards It's better to post that way you're getting feelings out as well. If you're not quite sure where to start the thing I would suggest in doing first is starting exercise. To me exercise was the hard part! It still is!

Throw out the scale from your mind for awhile. Don't start dieting and exercising because of that number. Exercise and diet to feel better and be healthier. Although the number is good motivation, you may not see it go down and feel horrible for not getting anywhere. One pound gone is one pound of good hard work you did, that's the way I look at it.

Dieting is a tricky thing and I commend everyone that can do it and stick to it. I'm not dieting right now really. I suppose you could call it dieting seeing as I watch what I eat and try not to eat as much crap as I used to.

Little things to start with make the biggest difference If you need someone to talk to you could always talk to me I'm always looking for more buddies! There are tons of people here that are the same way also Good luck and hope to see you posting again!
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Old 11-27-2005, 12:13 PM   #7  
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Hi Chunky! (I mean that in the nicest possible way!)

I feel for you so much that you are at your lowest point in regards to your weight - Donna is right when she said that pretty much all of us have been there at some point. It is horrible, and I can fully relate to your tears - you poor thing!

The good thing is, even though you don't quite know what to do about it yet, you have the desire to do something so just hold onto that as that will help you through. If I were you I'd do a bit of research to find out which plan will suit you best - look up Weight watchers, calorie counting etc on the net and get as much info as you can. I am calorie counting and have found it is better for me than WW, but for others it is different.

As for exercise - start really slowly and feel great about even the slightest activity. At your weight, 5 mins of activity will be giving you a real workout! I started off on Jan 1st this year doing 15 mins on my exercise bike, then added in walking, then swimming. After 6 months I joined a gym and there is no going back for me now - I am completely hooked!

Just take it slowly at first and feel proud of yourself for the smallest changes you can make - too often we want everything to change at once and beat ourselves up for not being able to do that.

Good luck, hope you can stick around here - I find the successes here are the best motivator. Before I joined the 100lb club, I thought I was the only person in the world with that much weight to lose and I didn't think it was possible - now I KNOW it is!

Love Amanda x
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Old 11-27-2005, 01:00 PM   #8  
I love chocolate! <sigh>
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Thanks so much everyone, for the words of support! I got on the scale this morning, and it said 300. OMG... I am just speechless...

BUT, you are all correct. This is the "sticker shock" that I needed. This morning I set long and short term weight loss goals for myself, and I'm using 300 pounds as the start weight. I am going to sit down today and try to figure out which approach will work best for me and my schedule. I'm also going to hook up with some "buddies" on here to keep me motivated (and to help motivate them as well).

<BIG deep breath> So, here goes... I am hopeful that I can stay on track and get to goal. I will be 40 in August of 2007. Is my goal reasonable to attain by then??
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Old 11-27-2005, 01:09 PM   #9  
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Hi CTS! (Sorry, don't want to call you 'chunky', it seems so rude! [And so temporary! ])

I too got one heck of a "shock" when I stepped on the scale about 4 months ago and saw 294. How could I have let myself get SO HEAVY?? What was I THINKING??? After a few minutes of kicking myself mentally, my Inner Mommy stepped in and made me stop. (Yeah, there's lots of people living in my head! ) I sat down and set some goals for myself, decided on rewards for those goals, set some diet/exercise goals, and set about finding some people to encourage and support me. That's how I found this wonderful bunch of people. They've been there, they understand, and they're more than willing to lend a hand or just a shoulder for you to cry on.

Welcome to the board, and remember: this is just the place you're starting from. This isn't where you will always be. It's a beginning, not an end.
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Old 11-27-2005, 03:37 PM   #10  
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I think your goal is doable but I would just focus on small goals right now. Just take it one day at a time. You will get lots of support here and we look forward to getting to know you.
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Old 11-27-2005, 05:48 PM   #11  
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Hi! Glad you decided to take the plunge and start posting. Sorry to hear you've had a rough time of it lately. We're all here to help and offer words of advice and encouragement, or a kick in the butt if you need it Post often!

~Dee
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Old 11-27-2005, 08:06 PM   #12  
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You have come to the right place for support. I'm so glad to see you have started to post.

I think your goal is doable, but Howie is right. If you set your sigts on losing 150 lbs, the road seems long. Instead some of us lose it 10 lbs at a time, some try for 10 % of their body weight. However you do it, it might help to break your 150 lb goal into smaller ones.

Whatever program you start I have one word for you. Plan. It's 7:02 here and my lunch is already made. I know exactly what I will eat tomorrow. I have already told Hub to set the alarm so I can get up and execise. As the saying goes, If you fail to plan, you plan to fail

Good luck tomorrow!!
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Old 11-28-2005, 12:19 AM   #13  
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Welcome, Chunky! I had the same sticker shock you did! Only I kind of had mine a while before I did anything about it and my scale at home weighs 7 lbs less than most other scales. Needless to say, my home scale is my official weight, but I started at 300 too! I also will be 40 next year!

I had a moment of clarity last summer, which occured, among other things, after having fallen while walking downstairs and really bruising my coccyx.

I had a thought "I want to be healthier at 50 than I will be at 40."

And that thought kind of bubbled around in my head for a while as I wondered whether I should get started THEN or wait until my birthday in February!

Luckily, I started back in July and will hopefully be at my first mini-goal before my birthday (I am sooooo close). I already feel better, and I'm not even 40 yet!

Good luck!
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Old 11-28-2005, 12:37 AM   #14  
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Hey, Chunk! I had a similar epiphany when weighing myself last month. I used that realization to fuel my desire to lose weight even more! I keep reminding myself of that feeling (that sick, sinking feeling) I had when I saw those impossibly high numbers on the scale everytime I have the desire to eat something I should not or to avoid exercise. This place is great for inspiration!

Quote:
Originally Posted by howie6267
I think your goal is doable but I would just focus on small goals right now. Just take it one day at a time. You will get lots of support here and we look forward to getting to know you.

Do y'all really feel that a 150 pound loss is reasonable in only 8 months? Everyone keeps telling me that my goal of 68 pounds in 6 (ish) months is excessive and ambitious.
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Old 11-28-2005, 12:46 AM   #15  
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I am also new to these boards. I've had the 300# sticker shock event a couple of times. The first time it happened, I got a copy of "Body For Life" and started following it rigorously. I got down to around 265 or so, and then stopped exercising and eating right.

That was 4 years ago. I ended up going back over 300# -- actually to 310. I attended a workshop this summer that got me motivated to "get healthy" because I really had a lot to live for. I put "getting healthy" on my "to do list", but it rapidly got bounced to the top of the list by my dad's triple bypass surgery at the end of August. I spent 10 hours driving home to spend time with my dad -- those hours gave me a lot of time to think and I realized that if I didn't get going soon, I might well not get the chance at all to "get healthy". (I'm 44, have high cholesterol, and a family history of heart trouble).

One of the things I knew from my previous exercise/diet attempts was that it was very easy for me to stop going to the gym -- not just major life events, but so also minor things like business trips. I decided that I needed the accountability of working with a personal trainer. In early September, I began working with a trainer at a local fitness club. It has been extremely helpful in more ways than I could have imagined.

The accountability of meeting with someone 2x/week has already gotten me into the gym more than I would have on my own.

My gym offered an assessment using a machine that you breathe into that calculates the amount of calories you burn just existing. I was surprised that I ended up needing more calories than my weight/height/age/gender would suggest. No wonder I was always starving before on a "diet"! In the past three months, I haven't gone to bed hungry, haven't been obsessing about what I'd eat when I got a chance, and I have lost 30#! This makes me realize I *can* live like this for the rest of my life.

I had not realized how many form-related mistakes I made lifting weights until I started working with a trainer.

My trainer encourages me and gives me positive feedback which helps motivate me.

Finally, I find myself working harder with someone else than when I'm on my own.

For literally the first time in my life, I whole-heartedly believe I can get down to a "normal weight".

Good luck to you on your journey!
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